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VEDANTA IN PRACTICE 



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SWAMI PARAMANANDA 



Vedanta in Practice 



BY 

SWAMI PARAMANANDA 

II 

THE AUTHOR OF 

'The Path of Devotion," etc. 




New York 
The Baker and Taylor Company 

MCMIX 



xf*K 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 

JAN 7 1909 

a Copyrignt Entry 
CLASS Q» XXc, No, 



*\tf 



Copyright, 1908 

BY 

SWAMI PARAMANANDA 



[All rights reserved] 



THE PREMIER PRESS 
NEW YORK 



This little book Is dedicated to the memory of my 
blessed Master, Swami Vivekananda, whose pure 
character, unselfish love and teachings of tol- 
erance have tied the East and West in 
sisterly bonds of love and sympathy. 



PREFACE 

In giving religious instruction, it is 
always important to show how princi- 
ples can be put into practice. People 
sometimes imagine that the principles 
are all, and that when one has learned 
them and can talk glibly about them, 
nothing further is necessary. This is 
as great a mistake as to suppose that 
looking at a well-spread table is all 
that is needed to satisfy hunger. Un- 
less we not only eat the food, but also 
digest and assimilate it, so that it be- 
comes part of our bodies, nourishing 
and preserving them, all the food in the 
world would be of little use to us. 

The aim of these lectures is to show 
7 



8 Preface 

us how to avail ourselves of the great 
principles of Vedanta, so that they will 
become part of our daily lives ; to teach 
us how we can put them into practice 
and live by them every moment of our 
existence. When we can thus assimi- 
late them, they will nourish and sus- 
tain our spiritual nature, just as food 
preserves our physical frame. Vedanta 
is eminently practical, and each of the 
five lectures is designed to help the 
reader to put into practice the truth he 
has learned. They were given in re- 
sponse to the demand for instruction 
of this character, and they are sent out 
with the earnest hope that some may be 
helped by them. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

I. The Need of Spiritual 

Life , 15 

II. Right Discrimination. ... 36 

III. Building of Character 57 

IV. Power of Concentration. 77 

V. Self- Realization 1 93 

VI. Selections from Upani- 
shads and Other Scrip- 
tures 117 



VEDANTA IN PRACTICE 



1 ' Learn this by reverence by enquiry and by 
humble service. Those men of wisdom who 
have realized the truth will teach you this Su- 
preme Wisdom. 

1 'Knowing which, thou shalt not again thus 
fall into error and by which thou shalt see all 
beings in thyself and also in Me. 

"Even if you are the most sinful of the sin- 
ful, you will cross over the ocean of sin by the 
bark of wisdom. 

"As kindled fire reduces fuel to ashes, so 
does the wisdom fire reduce all actions to ashes. 
Nothing indeed in this world purifies equal to 
wisdom. He who is perfected by yoga (relig- 
ious practices) finds it in time, within him- 
self.' ' 

Bhagavad Gita IV. 36-38. 



I 

THE NEED OF SPIRITUAL LIFE 

Often it has been asked that some- 
thing practical in Vedanta teaching 
should be given — something which 
can be lived and carried out in our 
every-day life. This is a very vital 
point in religion, and without this we 
cannot expect to be truly spiritual. Of 
what use is religion, of what use is 
spirituality, if they have not something 
to give us more tangible, more sub- 
stantial, than mere dry words? Fre- 
quently we hear people complain of 
religion and of those who believe in 
it; they say it is all superstition, in- 
tended only for the uneducated and 
weak-minded. These men are doubt- 

15 



1 6 The Need of Spiritual Life 

less perfectly sincere in their remarks, 
because, their vision being limited, they 
do not see truth behind the claims of 
religion, and therefore try to deny its 
existence. Thank God that religious 
truths do not in the least depend on 
any such remarks or opinions. If they 
did not have as their basis something 
more solid and sublime than we imag- 
ine, or perceive, or grasp through our 
senses, they would not be in existence 
to-day. For has it not been the spe- 
cial tendency of a certain class of men, 
in all ages, even from prehistoric times, 
to endeavor to crush religious truths 
cut of existence? Men of gigantic in- 
tellect have often tried to disprove their 
reality and usefulness. Often great 
scientists have made bold assertions 
doubting these truths, because they 
could not realize them through scien- 



The Need of Spiritual Life ij 

tific methods. Many, many waves of 
antagonism have swept over religion, 
still it stands firm in its own glory, 
unshaken and undisturbed. What other 
proof is necessary to establish its lofti- 
ness and extraordinary strength ? True 
religion stands on a pedestal of eter- 
nal truth, which no amount of human 
effort can shake or move. However, 
it is very interesting to observe that 
many of these men who at first have 
risen in opposition, come sooner or 
later to a realization of its wonderful 
truth and bow their heads before it. 
Proof of this is seen in the lives of 
some great scientists, like Huxley and 
Tyndall, etc., who, after their life- 
long experiences in material science, 
admitted at the close of their lives that 
cne must give up matter and rise above 
it, in order to gain knowledge of the 



1 8 The Need of Spiritual Life 

spirit. However we may try or strug- 
gle, it is certain that spirit guides mat- 
ter, and will always do so. It cannot 
be otherwise. Society has always paid 
its homage to spirituality, but never 
spirituality to society. This has been 
the one unique and inevitable law in 
this world of ours. 

Coming back to our point, I must 
say that religion really teaches the 
practical side of life. In fact, it is 
based on realization. What right has 
a man to say religion is true if he has 
not seen it and proved it for himself? 
Similarly, what right has a man to 
claim it is untrue before he has prac- 
tised it and tried to realize it ? A blind 
man does not see the sun, and may say 
that the sun does not shine; but can 
that really affect the sun, or prove it 
non-existent? No, it cannot. During 



The Need of Spiritual Life 19 

a cloudy day the brilliant sun may be 
hidden and invisible, but can we there- 
by, in any way, conclude that it does 
not exist? Exactly in the same way, 
as long as man's sun of wisdom is cov- 
ered by the veil of ignorance, he does 
not see God nor feel the need of a 
spiritual life. However, nobody can 
remain forever in that state of unwis- 
dom. Every mistake we make, every 
experience we gain, whether good or 
bad, pleasant or unpleasant, always 
takes us to some higher understanding 
and realization. But it is very impor- 
tant for spiritual aspirants not to be- 
come self-centered and narrow-minded. 
We all know how limited human 
knowledge is. One may be very great 
on his own plane of thought, and an- 
other may be as great or greater on 
an entirely different plane of thought. 



20 The Need of Spiritual Life 

Should they, therefore, quarrel and 
argue — trying to prove that one is 
right and the other wrong? Both are 
right, both are true, where is the room 
for fight or quarrel? Each under- 
stands according to his own degree of 
comprehension. This has been one of 
the great impediments to spiritual 
progress, that men entirely lose sight 
of all things except what they see and 
feel in their own range of vision. This 
mistake comes from man's ignorance 
or extreme egotism, which makes him 
short-sighted and self-centered. How- 
ever, this great obstacle is to be over- 
come through realization. There is no 
other way out of it. The more igno- 
rant the man, the greater is apt to be 
his pride of knowledge. We all know 
this perfectly well. There is no harder 
task than trying to make an ignorant, 



The Need of Spiritual Life 21 

egotistical man understand beyond his 
range of thought. When man is ri- 
pened in wisdom his whole nature be- 
comes softened and tender. His whole 
nature changes, and he becomes broad 
and sympathetic. 

We can study this fact from the lives 
of all great spiritual men. Their wis- 
dom makes them humble and meek. 
The wisdom of Socrates made him 
realize that he knew nothing. Who can 
really master all of the infinite store 
of knowledge ? The more a man learns, 
the more he finds before him to learn. 
There is no limit. Infinite is the ocean 
of wisdom. The deeper you dive in 
that ocean, the greater grows your hu- 
mility. That is the reason we find so 
much modesty in all the great teachers 
of mankind. How can they help it, 
when they see the power of the Al- 



22 The Need of Spiritual Life 

mighty One working everywhere in 
everything ? They no longer grovel in 
the darkness of ignorance, but sing 
boldly the infinite glory of the Lord. 
"Thou art one Infinite Being, beyond 
all human conception, beyond mind 
and speech." Thus sang the ancient 
Seers-of -truth, concerning the infinite 
glory of the Lord. This is what is 
called true wisdom, knowing the om- 
nipotent power of the invisible force 
which guides the universe and all that 
dwells therein, both animate and inani- 
mate. After knowing, through reali- 
zation, this one and irresistible force, 
called by different names, as Lord, 
God, Allah, and so on, how can men 
help but resign their own wills and 
say, as did the Nazarene, "Not my 
will, but Thine, be done"? Not that 
Jesus alone declared this, but all who 



The Need of Spiritual Life 23 

attain to this highest state of spiritual 
wisdom say the same. In all countries 
and in all ages, Truth is one without 
a second, and those who realize it also 
come to the same goal and the same 
understanding, although we often find 
a difference in the way of expression 
or language. This is of little impor- 
tance; the difference is only in words, 
and not in the ultimate meaning. 

Fools and fanatics do not under- 
stand this, and that is why there is so 
much unnecessary disturbance in the 
matter of religious opinions. "Why 
can I not worship my God, my Ideal, 
by expressing my devotional feelings 
in my own way without being con- 
demned, criticized o»r interfered with? 
Why do I meet so much opposition?" 
Many ask this question, but it often 
gees unanswered. Narrow-minded 



24 The Need of Spiritual Life 

people have only one way of regard- 
ing things, and that way is only what 
they think right. All else is false. Not 
only do they not want to go beyond 
the range of their own ideas, but they 
wish others to accept their views. We 
have a very beautiful and appropriate 
illustration in the Katha-Upanishad: 
"Fools dwelling in darkness, wise in 
their own conceit and puffed up with 
vain knowledge, go round and round, 
staggering to and fro, like blind men 
led by the blind." There are many like 
this in the world, who, though wrapped 
in the veil of ignorance, fancy in the 
pride of their hearts that they know 
everything. They do not stop there, 
but try to lead others, and the result 
is that "the blind, leading the blind, 
both fall into the ditch." 

So when we talk about the imprac- 



The Need of Spiritual Life 25 

ticability of religion, we must stop for 
a minute and think, before making such 
assertions. At present we have become 
so dependent on matter, and have so 
lost sight of the spirit that nothing 
seems practical but bread and butter, 
and such things as are perceivable and 
gratifying to the senses. If we weigh 
all our so-called intellectual arguments 
against the value of religion, we will 
see clearly that there is no other rea- 
son for our objections, except that we 
have formed a morbid habit of depend- 
ing entirely on matter — upon the ex- 
ternal and transitory things of this 
world. But it is a well-known fact 
that men cannot live on bread alone. 
Doubtless, food sustains our physical 
bodies, but it cannot bring any nourish- 
ment to the inner life, which is the real 
self of man — the Atman. And sooner 



26 The Need of Spiritual Life 

or later this need is felt in every hu- 
man heart. However brutal, diabolical 
and hard-hearted a man may be; nay, 
however great his hatred for spiritual 
truths may be, some day, after going 
through many different experiences of 
life, he comes to the conclusion that 
he cannot live without getting some- 
thing real, something more substantial 
than the mere external satisfactions of 
the world, on which he depended so 
entirely. This makes him restless. He 
struggles as if to get some food for 
his soul. This brings him to a reali- 
zation of the need of a spiritual life. 
The value of religion is felt when we 
come to this point, and not before. 
Then alone we realize the transitori- 
ness of this world and the necessity of 
a spiritual life. This shows how we 
change our views according to our 



The Need of Spiritual Life 2J 

growth and understanding. We can- 
not make any one spiritual until this 
reed is felt in his heart. The great 
men of realization know this, and that 
is the reason they sympathize with 
those who have not yet awakened to 
their spiritual necessities. It is through 
sympathy one can teach, but not 
through fault-finding. If you want to 
help anybody, you must come to his 
level, you must explain things in his 
language. This is only possible for 
cne who has himself attained spiritual 
realization. 

As I have already said, religion is 
realization and thoroughly practical. 
To spiritual men it is even more prac- 
tical, more real than eating and drink- 
ing. There are men who can very eas- 
ily do away with everything in this 
world, but find it impossible to live 



28 The Need of Spiritual Life 

without Divine contemplation. In one 
pole of existence you will find that men 
cannot live a day without depending 
entirely on matter or external sur- 
roundings. Similarly you will find, in 
the other existence, other men to whom 
it is impossible to live without entirely 
depending on God and living a spiritual 
life. This shows that the idea of prac- 
ticability varies in different stages of 
life, according to our growth and un- 
derstanding. If we always bear this in 
mind, then we can never commit the 
blunder of denunciation, which comes 
through short-sightedness or fanati- 
cism. 

One great virtue we can all learn 
from India's spiritual men. They have 
been very sincere, bold and broad in 
their assertions. Sometimes it took 
lives, and even ages to attain to one 



The Need of Spiritual Life 29 

spiritual truth, but they bore it patient- 
ly and went through all prescribed dis- 
ciplines, hardships and austerities. 
Even then if they failed they did not 
find fault with the fundamental teach- 
ing, but recognized their own human 
weaknesses and limitations. This is 
what is called true wisdom — when we 
learn to see our own imperfections and 
limitations. Why should we be so very 
narrow as to denounce anything, only 
because we cannot understand it ? Our 
duty is to follow faithfully the spiritual 
practices with sincerity and purity of 
heart, and struggle hard till we have 
realized the truth for ourselves. Noth- 
ing else can remove our doubts, noth- 
ing else can make us peaceful and 
happy. Reasoning, talking and study- 
ing different scriptures cannot give us 
happiness, nor supply our inner needs. 



30 The Need of Spiritual Life 

Undoubtedly they give some pleasure 
to intellectual people, but they cannot 
bring any development of spiritual con- 
ceptions. As it has been beautifully ex- 
pressed by a great Vedantic sage: 
"The various methods of joining 
words, the various methods of speak- 
ing in beautiful language, the various 
methods of explaining the diction of 
the scriptures are only for the disputa- 
tions and enjoyments of the learned, 
but they do not lead to freedom'." Of- 
ten we see people carried away by this 
sort of thing and missing the ultimate 
goal of human life. Sri Ramakrishna 
gives a very beautiful parable to this 
effect. Two friends went to a mango 
orchard; one of them busied himself in 
counting the different trees, their 
branches and leaves, comparing their 
size and color very catefully. This 



The Need of Spiritual Life 31 

was undoubtedly very interesting to 
him. Meanwhile the other went for- 
ward, made the gardener his friend 
and began to enjoy the fruits. Which 
one of them do you suppose was really 
the wiser? Certainly the one who en- 
joyed the fruits. There are people who 
spend their whole lives in this leaf- 
counting business, thinking this is the 
cnly practical thing in life. And at last 
they find themselves deceived by the 
charm of Maya. But a few, through 
proper understanding, avoid this un- 
profitable labor of leaf-counting and try 
to acquire the friendship of the owner 
of this magnificent garden, and thus 
enjoy the immortal and blissful fruits. 
They are the best and wisest of all hu- 
man beings who direct their energies 
to realizing the Real, distinguishing 
right from wrong. So we always need 



32 The Need of Spiritual Life 

right discrimination, in order to live a 
true spiritual life. Otherwise there is 
great danger of abusing our powers 
and energies, and of spending them in 
wrong directions. But right discrimi- 
nation saves us from this. 

The next thing necessary to have is 
faith. What is this faith? Often we 
are told not to have blind faith, not to 
take anything for granted. That is 
very true and very rational. We ought 
to investigate, that is what our reason 
is for. We must strive hard and find 
the right path and then follow it faith- 
fully. By faith is meant to trust the 
scriptures and the words of Seers-of- 
truth. This is very necessary and 
helpful in spiritual life. The question 
may be brought forth, Why should we 
accept their words before we know 
their truths ourselves? This is very 



The Need of Spiritual Life 33 

good as talk, but when we come to 
practice we find it different. It is hard 
to realize, and sometimes it takes ages 
to discover one truth. So it is abso- 
lutely necessary to have faith in the 
words of great prophets and sages who 
have devoted their whole lives to realiz- 
ing truth, and to follow their pre- 
scribed directions. This can be ex- 
plained in other words. As a forlorn, 
thirsty traveler needs the direction of 
a man who is well acquainted with a 
strange country and knows where wa- 
ter is to be had, so we, too, need the 
help of those who can guide us to the 
"water of life." If we, through our 
vanity, doubt the words of those true 
friends who know well all the various 
intricate ways of spiritual life, we sim- 
ply miss the opportunity to attain di- 
vine wisdom and may die of spiritual 



34 The Need of Spiritual Life 

thirst. Faith is always helpful and 
without it spiritual growth becomes im- 
possible. As it i% said by Lord Krish- 
na in the Gita: "The ignorant, the 
faithless and one of doubting Self is 
ruined. There is neither this world, 
nor the other, nor happiness for one 
of doubting mind." Without faith we 
cannot work properly, and progress is 
impossible. All great workers pos- 
sessed wonderful faith in themselves 
and in the Lord. What can a doubt- 
ing mind do? It loses all its powers 
and energies by groping hither and 
thither in darkness. Another name for 
doubt is darkness. We doubt mucK 
while we are in darkness. So, light 
the candle of wisdom on the altar of 
your heart and see the incomparable 
beauty of your own Self and of the 
Lord, and learn that these are one and 



The Need of Spiritual Life 35 

inseparable. Do this boldly and become 
free from all fear, care and all limited 
ideas that you are a puny mortal, a 
slave to disease and death, which arise 
from doubt of yourself. Or do as Lord 
Krishna commanded his disciple: 
"With the sword of wisdom cut asun- 
der this doubt of Self lying in the 
heart, born of ignorance, and arise." 
This is the real boldness. Blessed, in- 
deed, are those who can obey such a 
command to attain freedom. Man, you 
talk of boldness, this is true boldness 
which enables you to become the pos- 
sessor of immortal bliss. This is in- 
finitely greater than all your physical 
heroic actions, when you can sacrifice 
all the selfishness and all the vanities of 
the world, to obey the command of the 
Lord and live a spiritual life. 



II 

RIGHT DISCRIMINATION 

"Three things are rare and only ob- 
tainable through the grace of the Su- 
preme Being: human life, earnest de- 
sire for liberation, and the helpful as- 
sociation of the Holy." So it is said 
by the great illumined sage, Sankara. 
Why should it be so? Why human life 
should be considered so great may be 
questioned. According to the Vedantic 
conception of creation, this human 
body is the greatest body in the uni- 
verse. Man is greater than all ani- 
mals; nay, than all Devas (angels)'. 
No other manifestation of life is great- 
er than man. Man alone is in a fit po^ 

sition to attain perfection. Even the 
36 



'Right Discrimination 37 

Devas have to come down and attain to 
perfection through human bodies. The 
meaning is that, in the lower creation, 
the animal plane, everything is full of 
dullness, and thought cannot go far- 
ther than the limits of the body. Ani- 
mals cannot think of any high things. 
So, also, the Devas, who are supposed 
to live in the heavens, cannot attain to 
freedom directly. Too much bodily 
pleasure also ties us to the physical 
plane and obstructs growth, and high 
thoughts cannot come. In human so- 
ciety we find the same thing. Those 
who have too much wealth, or those 
who are stricken with extreme poverty, 
are not fit for spiritual attainment: 
both are great impediments to the de- 
velopment of the soul. It is the mid- 
dle class who attain wisdom, because 
here alone we find the forces of mind 



38 Right Discrimination 

and body properly adjusted and bal- 
anced. This is the reason why human 
birth is so much esteemed — as the hu- 
man plane stands between the animal 
and the angel 

Next is to have the earnest desire 
or thirst for liberation. How many 
among us really desire freedom — al- 
though we are all human beings? 
There are few who strongly desire to 
search for the real, and who realize 
that all external things are unreal, 
false. Those who strive earnestly and 
sincerely to find the way to freedom 
and succeed in getting the helpful 
guidance of a true teacher, an illu- 
mined soul, are indeed blessed and have 
accomplished the purpose of human ex- 
istence. This is the aim and object of 
human life, although the majority have 
forgotten it and have taken other 



Right Discrimination 39 

thing's as their ideals. But there comes 
a moment in every one's life when he 
cannot but turn toward the truth. He 
is indeed a true man who strives for 
liberation, self-mastery, by conquer- 
ing his lower nature. This human 
body is a privilege, and those who, 
after having obtained this great privi- 
lege, do not put it to the right use, 
miss their opportunity. 

What makes man greater than the 
animals ? What makes one man great- 
er than another? It is through intelli- 
gence that the power of understanding 
comes. It is through the opening of the 
faculty of discrimination that one rises 
higher in thoughts and in wisdom. In 
the physical plane there is very little 
opening of this faculty of discrimina- 
tion. On the intellectual plane it is 
much more pronounced, but it is not 



40 Right Discrimination 

entirely revealed to a man until he has 
reached the realm of the Spiritual. This 
discrimination is called, in Sanskrit, 
Viveka and is most important in every 
step of spiritual life. Viveka means 
discriminating between the real and the 
unreal, between the true and the false. 
This world is a great mixture. There 
are good things as well as bad things ; 
there are beautiful things as well as 
ugly things ; there are beneficial things 
a? well as harmful things; and we are 
placed in the midst of this turmoil to 
find our way out of it to that state 
where there is no duality, but only one 
existence of Absolute Bliss. So we need 
this Viveka to help us and lead us in 
the right path. 

Without right discrimination we can- 
not make any progress whatsoever in 
the spiritual path. Things of the world, 



Right Discrimination 41 

beautiful and fascinating to the senses 
— appearing to be real — often lead us 
astray when we lack right discrimina- 
tion. Hard indeed is the path of Sam- 
sdra (earthly life). Even the keenest 
human beings are sometimes deceived 
by the charm of Maya. Ignorance is 
the cause of all our misery and suffer- 
ing, and ignorance exists because of 
non-discrimination. When we take the 
unreal for the real and cling to it, we 
become disappointed and thus suffer. 

We see everything constantly chan- 
ging around us. The baby becomes 
the youth, the youth becomes the man 
who, in his turn, is slowly approach- 
ing old age. The strong are weakened 
by disease, and death comes to all. Yet 
all are clinging to this life, looking 
upon this as permanent What else 
can be the cause of this delusion, except 



42 ] Right Discrimination 

ignorance and forgetfulness of the true 
Self? We have identified the immor- 
tal Self with this little body which is 
bound to fall. "Ignorance is taking 
that which is non-eternal, impure and 
non-Self, for the Eternal, pure, bliss- 
ful Atman (Self).'' 

Our present conception of the Self 
is nothing beyond the body. But the 
body cannot be the Self. The body can 
never become unchangeable or eternal. 
Everything that has a beginning must 
necessarily have an end. It cannot be 
otherwise. The body comes and goes, 
being a combination of matter, but the 
Spirit remains always; — unchangeable 
and eternal. 

Once, Indra, the head of the gods, 
and Virochana, the head of the de- 
mons, went to learn about the Self 
from a great sage. They both studied 



Right Discrimination 43 

with him for a long time. Then, one 
day, their master declared, "Thou art 
that. Thou thyself art that Self which 
thou art seeking." Both of them were 
at first pleased, and thought they had 
accomplished everything. They re- 
turned to their homes and gave the 
message to the people. The demon, 
having naturally a clouded and igno- 
rant nature, could not understand the 
real meaning of the words of the sage, 
but took them literally, and thought 
his body was the Self. So he declared 
to his people, "Make the body well and 
strong by taking good food and exer- 
cise. Be happy. None is greater than 
ourselves. We are Brahman." Thus 
he remained contented, and inquired no 
further. 

But the god had a much finer na- 
ture, and he at once began to think: 



44 Right Discrimination 

"The meaning of our master's words 
cannot be that the Self is this body. 
How can this body be the Self while 
it is so ephemeral, changeable and de- 
pendent on matter? The Self does not 
change at all." So he returned to the 
sage and asked, "Sir, did you mean 
that this body is the Self? I see that 
the body changes constantly and dies, 
while the Self is unchangeable and im- 
mortal." The sage replied, calmly, 
"Thou art that Self. Find it out thy- 
self." 

Then Indra thought perhaps the vi- 
tal forces were the Self. But soon he 
found that they became weak if he did 
not give them proper nourishment. So 
he came back to the sage to find if he 
meant the vital forces. But the sage 
answered in the same way. Then In- 
dra thought it must be the mind, but 



Right Discrimination 45 

soon he discovered that the mind could 
not be the Self, as it is sometimes 
happy and at other times unhappy. 
Thus, through constant search, pa- 
tience and right discrimination, and 
through the help of the sage, the god 
attained Self-knowledge — the Self 
which is neither body nor mind, but 
beyond both, "whom the sword can- 
not cut, whom fire cannot burn, whom 
water cannot melt, and air cannot dry. 
Birthless, deathless, One, omniscient 
and all-pervading." The god, through 
proper discrimination, reached the 
goal, while the poor, ignorant demon 
missed it on account of his fondness 
for the body and bodily pleasures. 

We need not go far to find out the 
significance of this story. You will ex- 
cuse me if I say that in human society 
we find a good many demons whose 



46 Right Discrimination 

thoughts do not go beyond the limits 
cf the body and are perfectly satis- 
fied with sense pleasures. But there 
are a few gods, too, who can differen- 
tiate through discrimination the real 
from the unreal, and release the soul 
from the bondage of Maya. We can 
all become like gods if we only use 
this power properly, and manifest Di- 
vinity within ourselves. Similarly we 
can degrade ourselves to the animal 
plane if we do not use it properly. Our 
progression or retrogression depends 
entirely upon ourselves, on our every 
thought and action. The Lord has 
given us the power of discrimination, 
and if we use it we can rise higher — 
but if we neglect it and are led away 
by our momentary impulses, then we 
obstruct our growth and remain almost 
as ignorant as animals. "The tenden- 



Right Discrimination 47 

cies of eating, sleeping, fear and sense 
enjoyments are common to both human 
beings and animals. The former excel 
the brutes in knowledge and under- 
standing. But those who lack in 
knowledge can be classified with ani- 
mals." 

Some may think this is put in a 
rather exaggerated form, but it is not 
so. On the contrary, much truth can 
be found in it if properly analyzed. 

There are three planes of existence 
in this universe. The first is the physi- 
cal or material, the manifestation of 
which is shown obviously in animal 
life. The thoughts in this plane of ex- 
istence cannot go beyond the body and 
senses, and the mind naturally dwells 
in that circle. The second is the plane 
of intellect where human beings are 
supposed to stand. The manifestation 



48 Right Discrimination 

of intellect is especially seen in our 
great scientists and mechanicians who, 
through their many researches and in- 
ventions, have helped mankind. The 
tendency of intellect is to overcome all 
physical limitations and to give man 
more power over himself and nature in 
general. This is undoubtedly higher 
than the physical plane, but still higher 
is a plane which is known as the spir- 
itual plane. This stands entirely be- 
yond the body and mind. No amount 
of physical strength or intellectual 
keenness can bring us to this plane. 
This is the state in which we experi- 
ence supernatural powers, which nei- 
ther the senses nor the intellect can 
bring to us. 

These three planes of existence are 
the manifestation of Sattva, Rajas 
and Tamas y as they are called in San- 



Right Discrimination 49 

skrit. These three are the principal ele- 
ments out of which all living forms 
are manufactured. Our bodies are 
more or less the combination of these 
three. Tamas is the lowest, as repre- 
sented by animals. The nature of 
Tamas is darkness and dullness, and 
when these predominate in man he be- 
comes stupid and inactive. His mind 
is filled with evil propensities, and he 
fails to distinguish between right and 
wrong. This class of men is very 
little removed from the animals, because 
they do not possess the power of 
proper judgment, and their whole 
thought and action are centralized in 
their bodies. They often injure others 
to fulfil their selfish desires. But the in- 
tellect helps us to uplift ourselves 
above this dull, material plane. 
Through the help of intellect we be- 



50 Right Discrimination 

come active and ambitious for happi- 
ness. This is the nature of Rajas. 
Through Rajas we became immensely- 
active, and thus overcome all dullness. 
In this way, through the power of rea- 
soning, we progress much. But soon 
we find that the human intellect falls 
back after reaching a certain point. 
Here man struggles hard to penetrate 
the wall which stands between him and 
the Unknown. However, through the 
earnest struggle of the soul, a channel 
is opened which gives him the power 
to see inner things. This is the state 
of Sattva, where man is neither satis- 
fied by fulfilling the physical desires 
nor contented to remain within the lim- 
its of the intellect, but stands steadily- 
keeping the balance of both. In this 
state alone he can rightly discriminate. 



Right Discrimination 51 

Sattva gives the equilibrium and en- 
ables us to think and act rightly. 

According' to the manifestation of 
these three qualities — Sattva, Rajas 
and Tamos — we see the differences in 
human beings. The man who possesses 
the quality of goodness, in him alone 
we see true fearlessness, uprightness, 
purity, truthfulness, forgiveness and 
the absence of all anger and passion. 
He alone becomes peaceful and happy 
through his self-control. There is no 
other way to get peace. The man who 
follows the path of Rajas (or the qual- 
ity of passion) never finds any peace 
or rest, as there is no limit to human 
desires. The more we gratify them, 
the stronger they become. It is just 
like adding fuel to the fire 5 — we but 
make the flame stronger. 

How can any man expect to find 



52 Right Discrimination 

peace and happiness when he is over- 
powered by Tamas or the darkness of 
ignorance ? Through our experience we 
come to the conclusion that we must 
learn how to control our lower natures 
and manifest goodness, by which 
means alone we can hope to attain per- 
fection. Thus discrimination becomes 
our true friend on the spiritual path by 
showing us the right way and saving 
us from errors. 

Now the question is, how to culti- 
vate this quality of Sattvaf "By prac- 
tice and non-attachment it is attained." 
Of course there are some suggestions 
regarding food. By living on pure 
food one can change his body and gain 
Sattva elements. It is true that one 
can be helped by proper food and 
drink. 

There are three causes which make 



Right Discrimination 53 

food impure. The nature of the food 
itself, such as onions, garlic, etc. ; when 
it is polluted by any foreign substance, 
such as hair, dirt, etc.; and, thirdly, 
when it is touched by an impure per- 
son. 

By avoiding these three, we can un- 
doubtedly gain strength and goodness, 
but one thing we must always remem- 
ber, and that is that all external ob- 
servances are only secondary. The real 
purity is internal, and only obtainable 
through the constant practice of un- 
selfishness and chastity. When we lack 
discrimination, there is great danger of 
our falling into fanaticism — that most 
deadly of all foes to progress. How- 
ever, if we keep the goal constantly be- 
fore our eyes and in our hearts, then 
we can safely overcome all obstacles 
that lie in our way. 



54 Right Discrimination 

All outer observances regarding 
cleanliness, food, etc., are intended 
only as helps toward our spiritual de- 
velopment, and should not be mistaken 
for the goal itself. So we must be ever 
watchful, and guard ourselves from at- 
taching undue importance to any mere- 
ly external actions. Everything in this 
world has its legitimate use and also 
can easily be abused. So we need to 
discriminate in every step, in order to 
use our energies in the right direction. 
The following will illustrate this: 
"Once upon a time there lived a yogi, 
a holy man, who practised daily at 
certain hours. During this time he was 
much disturbed by a cat, so in order to 
have unbroken meditation he confined 
the animal in the next room. This went 
en for a long time, until finally he 
passed away, leaving behind him a dis- 



Right Discrimination 55 

ciple. Now, the disciple sincerely tried 
to imitate his master in every way. 
With that end in view, he spent much 
of his time trying to get hold of a cat, 
thinking that this animal had been an 
essential part of his master's medita- 
tion!" 

We often make a similar blunder, 
and, mistaking the non-essential for the 
essential, waste our forces in vain. 

Most of our religious disharmonies 
are the direct result of these unassimi- 
lated ideas. Great souls do things with 
a certain purpose in view, and their 
followers, not understanding the prop- 
er spirit of their actions, misinterpret 
them, often to their own hindrance. 
Rituals and ceremonies should not be 
our main object in worship, but should 
be regarded merely as helps toward the 
goal. If we forget, and make them 



56 Right Discrimination 

cur first and foremost consideration, 
then we are easily misled, and our 
growth is retarded. Therefore, let us^ 
then seek sincerely and watch care- 
fully; always working steadily, with 
perseverance, faith and discrimination 
and through the grace of the Lord we 
shall attain salvation, 



Ill 

BUILDING OF CHARACTER 

Everything in this world is tran- 
sitory, is fleeting. From the highest 
manifestation of human life to the low- 
est worm, all are destined to perish. No 
man was ever born who could stop his 
body from changing constantly. Body 
is the name of a series of changes. 
What remains, then, but character? 
Time swallows up everything except 
character; this is the only thing it can- 
not touch. 

If we look back and study the his- 
tory of mankind, we find that, no mat- 
ter how hard the struggle may have 
been to live here forever, in the end all 

have been conquered by death. Em- 
57 



58 Building of Character 

perors and kings have striven to build 
up something permanent, something 
imperishable, but in vain. Look at the 
mighty Roman Empire, look at the 
wonderful Greek civilization, where 
are they? The one has crumbled into 
dust, the other lies in ruins. And what 
has outlived them? The message of 
Jesus Christ, the son of a carpenter, 
and that of the beggar Buddha, They 
are still ruling the universe. Mysteri- 
ous are the ways of the Lord. Those 
who wanted to live have died; those 
who were willing to die have continued 
to live. Christ, who freely gave up 
His life, lives eternally. Buddha, who 
renounced a whole kingdom, rules over 
half the world. 

Why did these great Teachers re- 
nounce? Because they found that ev- 
erything that is a combination of mat- 



Building of Character 59 

ter is destined to perish; and they 
sought something more permanent. 
When Christ wast, tempted by the devil, 
He cast aside the world because He 
well knew its hollowness and that it 
could never bring real happiness. So 
Buddha resisted the temptations of 
Mara, because he had realized that this 
world could bring only sorrow in the 
end. Both of these great Souls valued 
character more than all else, and de- 
voted all their attention to that. They 
renounced, or threw aside, all else, 
knowing that everything was transi- 
tory, that character alone would live. 

One obvious thing in all spiritual 
characters is, that they especially tend 
toward renunciation, as without it spir- 
itual growth is impossible. This idea 
of renunciation is often misunder- 
stood, and the majority of human be- 



Co Building of Character 

ings are even horrified by the mere 
mention of it. Yet we know that it 
forms the very foundation of spiritual 
life, and we see how all great men drew 
their inspiration and strength from this 
source. Show me one great spiritual 
character who did not sacrifice all self- 
ishness and go through supreme re- 
nunciation. "You cannot serve both' 
God and mammon." There is a great 
deal of meaning in this simple saying 
of the Lord. It is not as easy as we 
imagine it to be; we cannot grasp the 
true meaning of this saying as long as 
our hearts are weak and impure. What 
makes us weak and impure? Depend- 
ence on matter and forgetfulness of the 
glorious spirit within; the more you 
love the world, with all its vanities, and 
depend on it, the weaker you become in 
internal strength. 



Building of Character 61 

God is the source of all our strength 
and inspiration, but when we forget 
Him, through the charm of matter, we 
become spiritually blind. The one is 
blinding, while the other is sight-giving 
— so both cannot co-exist. You can- 
not have sincere love for God in your 
heart and at the same time fondness for 
worldly enjoyments. It is impossible; 
it is inharmonious — as darkness and 
light. One must exist at a time. Thus 
the sages have declared boldly the 
thought of renunciation: Give up! 
Give up the world and love God, the 
Supreme Goal from whom we have 
come into existence, in whom we live 
and move and have our being. Do not 
forget Him, do not neglect to serve 
Him. Love Him and serve Him and 
let all else go. This is the watchword 
of all religions and religious teachers. 



62 Building of Character 

This love for God is the object and 
aim of renunciation. 

There is no violence or hard-heart^ 
edness necessary in renunciation. It 
is a natural growth of the heart. When 
we love God with our whole heart and 
soul then there is no room for any- 
thing else, and renunciation becomes 
easy. 

One thing worthy of mention in this 
connection is, that renunciation does 
rot necessarily mean running away 
from one's own home, friends and rela- 
tives, or being cruel to them. One can 
acquire love for God at home by prac- 
tising non-attachment and unselfish- 
ness. The question may be asked, 
What do we gain by renunciation ? Our 
best reward, our greatest good is to 
love God above all external things and 
to gain knowledge of the Supreme. So 



Building of Character 63 

we see that renunciation is one of the 
most important factors in the building 
of character. 

What is character? Every act or 
thought leaves an impression on the 
mind. All these impressions taken to- 
gether make up the character. When 
a large number of similar impressions 
are left on the mind, they unite and 
become a habit. It is truly said that 
"habit is second nature/' Indeed, 
Swami Vivekananda often remarked 
that it was all the nature we had. What 
we are to-day is the result of our past. 
This gives us great consolation and 
hope, because if what we do is only 
habit, then we can make or unmake it 
through our thoughts and deeds. 

There are two planes in this universe 
where our minds dwell. The Sat — the 
real, the permanently existent — and the 



64 Building of Character 

Asat — the unreal, the fleeting, the non-\ 
existent. 

One's standard of good and evil pn> 
ceeds from these. Anything that is a 
combination of matter is Asat, is fleet- 
ing and changeable; when we cling ig- 
norantly to such transitory things to 
gratify our momentary impulses, we 
become Asat, and it is such unsteady 
characters which we call bad or evil. 

As, however, any one who is bad 
has become so through habit, through 
holding his mind on the plane of evil, 
so he can overcome this tendency by 
learning to hold his mind on the plane 
of good, by cultivating a good habit of 
thought. At first it will be difficult for 
him, and he will have to struggle hard, 
but if he persistently looks only for the 
good everywhere, then, in the end, he 
is sure to conquer. This is undoubt- 



Building of Character 65 

edly a very difficult task and, however 
we may try, we are bound to sometimes 
come in contact with evil ; especially is 
this true for those of us who live in 
the world, as we cannot very well 
avoid associating with various classes 
of people. 

What are we to do then? How are 
we to overcome this difficulty? Pa- 
tanjali's advice is helpful: "Friend- 
ship, mercy, gladness, indifference be- 
ing thought of in regard to subjects, 
happy, unhappy, good and evil, respec- 
tively, pacify the mind." This is the 
real secret. It is evident that we can- 
not entirely avoid evil, but we can 
counteract and remedy it by holding 
these four sorts of ideas regarding all 
things that come before us. We must 
hold the feeling of friendship toward 



66 Building of Character 

all, and be merciful to those who are 
in misery. 

When others are happy we should 
feel happy, too-, and to the wicked and 
evil-minded we must be indifferent. If 
the subject is good, we must be friend- 
ly toward it, because true friendship is 
only possible and desirable with good 
and sincere people. You cannot give 
a friendly embrace to a tiger or a 
snake; the wisest thing is to avoid 
them. 

Then, if the subject of thought is 
miserable, we must be merciful toward 
it. When we see anybody suffer, we 
must try to remove his misery with a 
feeling of love and sympathy. 

This we must do with unselfishness 
and non-attachment toward the fruits 
of our actions. Whether the one whom 
you help is grateful or otherwise, mat- 



Building of Character 67 

ters not. Whenever you have the op- 
portunity of helping any one, you must 
bear in mind that it is for your good, 
for your own salvation. It is a privi- 
lege to serve God in the form of the 
miserable, and thus build our charac- 
ters and manifest Divinity. 

Next is gladness : we must be glad 
when others are happy. When any one 
becomes prosperous, victorious and 
successful, we must be happy to see 
him happy. 

Instead of entertaining the feeling of 
jealousy or hatred, we must rejoice in 
the joy O'f others. There is no peace 
or happiness in that heart which can- 
not stand the good fortune of others. 

The last and most difficult precept 
is to be indifferent to evil subjects. This 
is hard, because it needs immense self- 
control to balance the mind and dis- 



68 Building of Character 

criminate rightly. The feelings of both 
love and hatred are natural, but indif- 
ference is very difficult to practise. We 
can love good, but we cannot love evil, 
however we may talk of loving all. 
There naturally rises the opposite, ha- 
tred, in our hearts. For instance, if a 
man does evil to us, we at once become 
disturbed, and react by wanting to in- 
jure him. But thereby we gain noth- 
ing ; we only lose our strength and en- 
ergy. Every time we get angry or try 
to counteract evil by hatred we weaken 
ourselves and obstruct our spiritual 
growth. So one who possesses the 
power of discrimination and self-con- 
trol can alone overcome this difficulty 
by neither establishing friendship, nor 
animosity with the evil object. 

While we hold our minds on the 
physical plane, we have become weak 



Building of Character 69 

on the spiritual plane. To regain our 
spiritual strength we must withdraw 
our minds from the plane of matter. A 
great help to this is the company of 
the holy. Even a moment's associa- 
tion with great men will help us to 
cross over the ocean of worldliness. 
Who are great men? Those who are 
unselfish, all-loving and who remain 
unmoved under praise or blame, who 
live in this world not to gain anything 
for themselves, but to serve and help 
mankind for love's sake. When we 
come in contact with such lofty souls, 
a deep impression is made on our minds 
and this will gradually change the 
whole character. The very same man 
who was wicked may now become a 
saint. But, although the company of 
holy men may do much to purify us 
and change our natures, character is, 



jo Building of Character 

after all, what we form ourselves by 
our own habits of thought and by our 
own deeds. We alone are responsible 
for our characters. If we are now bad, 
we can change and become good. It 
all depends upon ourselves. As long, 
however, as we remain on the dual 
plane — on the plane of good and bad 
— there is danger of falling back. We 
must, therefore, go beyond both, and 
reach a state where our characters be- 
come perfect. Then neither good nor 
bad can any longer have an effect upon 
them ; they remain untouched by either. 
This is the only thing that is regarded 
a? permanent in this transitory world. 
But until we have reached this state we 
are not free from danger. Thus a man 
w r ho lives in solitude and tries to form 
his character may appear to be perfect, 
as long as he does not come into evil 



Building of Character Ji 

association, but he cannot be judged 
until he is seen in the midst of evil. 
That is the test. A perfect character 
is one who can go through good and 
bad unmoved. As it has been beauti- 
fully expressed by Emerson, "It is easy 
in the world to live after the world's 
opinion; it is easy in solitude to live 
after our own; but the great man is he 
who, in the midst of the crowd, keeps 
with perfect sweetness the independ- 
ence of solitude." This is the exact 
definition of a perfect man who is the 
same under all circumstances. 

We need both good and evil to form 
the perfect character, and the hard 
blows, which we call evil, often help us 
more than the good. If we look at the 
lives of great men, they seem to have 
gained most from blows — from adver- 
sity. Good is necessary, too, but we 



J2 Building of Character 

must especially try to be steady when 
we come in contact with evil. These 
great men first overcame evil by prac- 
tising the good, and then they rose still 
higher, where they could not be 
touched by either good or evil — where 
neither moved them. 

Such a character was Suka, who was 
the son of a great sage and born per- 
fect. At an early age the father sent 
him to the court of King Janaka, to 
learn. In order to test him, the king 
gave certain instructions beforehand to 
his courtiers, and when the boy arrived 
at the gate of the palace he was allowed 
to sit there three days and three nights 
without being noticed even by the 
guards of the palace. Then high of- 
ficials came and received him with 
royal honor. Still his face did not 
change; he remained unmoved. When 



Building of Character 73 

at last he was led before the king, the 
king gave him a cup of milk, full to 
the brim, and told him to carry it sev- 
en times around the hall without spill- 
ing a drop. In the midst of music and 
dancing the boy walked seven times 
around the hall with the same calm 
face without spilling one drop of the 
milk. Then the king said to him, 
"You have nothing more to learn. You 
have known the Truth — go home to 
your father." 

The only true help that you can ren- 
der to mankind is when, by your very 
character, you teach others. Then you 
do good by your every word, your ev- 
ery movement. When, for instance, 
you remain steady under all conditions 
of good and evil, those around you 
learn the value of steadiness and be- 
gin to try to practise it themselves. 



74 Building of Character 

iTKus, by tlie example of your charac- 
ter, your whole life becomes a lesson 
to others. This reminds me of a very 
beautiful and appropriate saying we 
Have in one of our Vedanta Scriptures : 

Under a banyan-tree a young illu- 
mined spiritual teacher and an old 
gray-haired disciple were seated. The 
disciple's mind was full of doubts, of 
ignorance, and he questioned— but the 
teacher ever kept silence, and the dis- 
ciple's doubts were gradually dispelled. 
Such is the force of character. It 
speaks louder than language. Its pow- 
er is wonderfully effective — more than 
anything else in this universe. 

Purity has been the foundation of all 
truly great characters. If you build a 
house on the sand, it is sure to tumble 
down; so, if we build our characters 
on anything but purity, they will not 



Building of Character 75 

./ 

stand. Impurity is a mixture; purity 
is one without a second. Mixed 
thoughts are seeing many; pure 
thought is when you see only One. 
When you think of any one's evil side, 
you yourself take that evil; just as 
when you meditate on a saint, you gain 
saintliness. What you think, you be- 
come. When we realize how much we 
lose by dwelling on the plane of evil 
we grow watchful and hold the mind 
only on the plane of good, and see in 
everything the All-pervading God. If 
we wish to save ourselves, we shall 
have to struggle hard, we shall have to 
regain, inch by inch, what we have lost 
by dwelling on the evil in the world. 
But it may be said, every one has 
mixed feelings — sometimes good, 
sometimes bad. How can we get out 
of this state? By using the power of 



y6 Building of Character 

discrimination, by constantly training 
the mind to distinguish the right from 
the wrong, and to seek only the good. 
This is the practical life. Building of 
character is the only true practice of 
Yoga, and it is the only way we can 
really help humanity. Christ helped 
the world by His character. It is not 
that He turned this earth into a heaven. 
That is not possible. There was just 
as much evil in the world after He 
came as before, but by His example He 
is helping each individual soul to over- 
come its limitations and to strive to- 
ward perfection. 

Neither Christ nor Buddha, or any 
other prophet, claimed to be exceptions. 
On the contrary, they preached that all 
can become like them. We can all be- 
come perfect characters. But only 
when we build our characters on the 



Building of Character 77 

firm foundations of purity, unselfish- 
ness, and non-attachment will they be 
immovable, and become a blessing to 
all mankind. 



POWER OF CONCENTRATION 



When the subdued mind rests in the 
Self alone, without longing for the ob- 
jects of desire, that man is said to be 
a yogi (saint). 

As the flame of a lamp placed in a 
windless spot does not flicker, so the 
heart of the yogi of subdued mind re- 
mains steadfast in meditation and wa- 
vers not. — Bhagavad-Gita 6: 18, 19. 



81 



IV 

POWER OF CONCENTRATION 

Wisdom is the goal of human exist- 
ence. Even men of the lowest intelli- 
gence want to know the secret of 
things; because knowledge alone can 
bring peace and happiness to our souls. 
Ignorance is the main source of all 
misery and none really enjoys being 
in that state. W,hy do> we find so 
many ignorant, irresponsible people 
around us, then, if all are eager for 
wisdom ? Because, although the desire 
for wisdom is the natural instinct in 
every human heart, but few possess the 
power of acquiring it. A man who is 
inactive, stupid and full of ignorance 
has every desire to be all-knowing, only 



84 Power of Concentration 

he does not want to work to gain 
knowledge. There are others who are 
capable of work, and are immensely 
active, but who do not know the se- 
cret of work, and only exhaust their 
energies in wrong directions. The 
door of knowledge is ready to open to 
every one of us if we only know how 
to knock at it properly. 

There is only one way to knowledge 
and wisdom, and that is through the 
power of concentration. Without this 
power nobody can accomplish any- 
thing in this world. The students who 
can concentrate their minds fully on 
their books are the best students. With 
the least effort they accomplish the 
most. The scientist, in his laboratory, 
concentrates all the energies of his 
mind in one direction, and thus dis- 
covers the secrets of Nature. So does 



Power of Concentration 85 

the astronomer fix his mind, through 
his telescope, on sun, moon, planets, 
etc., and they give up their secrets to 
him. He is a good musician who can 
concentrate his mind on his music. So, 
also, with artists and everybody, else. 
This is the only road to knowledge. 
The more we can concentrate our 
minds on the subject of our study, the 
more rapidly the knowledge of that 
subject is revealed to us. Now let us 
see how to acquire this power of con- 
centration, as all our wisdom is based 
on this, especially spiritual wisdom. All 
the different practices of yoga are en- 
tirely based on concentration. 

Patanjali, in his Yoga Aphorisms, 
defines yoga as "restraining the 'mind- 
stuff' from taking various forms." 
This is only possible through the power 
cf concentration. What is the present 



86 Power of Concentration 

state of our minds? If we properly 
analyze, we shall find that they take in- 
numerable forms. Sometimes one's 
mind is happy, again unhappy; some- 
times angry, and again quiet, etc. It 
is always restless. We are all sitting 
here just now. If we are a little care- 
less, and let the mind run, it will per- 
haps travel thousands of miles away 
this minute, and will begin dreaming 
of various impressions of the past 
which will make it accordingly happy 
or unhappy. This is precisely the con- 
dition of our minds. 

Among those oi you who have read 
Swami Vivekananda's celebrated book 
on Raja Yoga, some perhaps remember 
how the mind is compared to a mad- 
dened monkey. "There was a monkey, 
restless by his own nature, as all mon- 
keys are. As if that were not enough, 



Power of Concentration 87 

some one made him drink freely of 
wine, so that he became still more rest- 
less. Then a scorpion stung him. 
When a man is stung by a scorpion he 
jumps about for a whole day, so the 
poor monkey found his condition 
worse than ever. To complete his mis- 
ery, a demon entered into him. What 
language can describe the uncontrolla- 
ble restlessness of that monkey? The 
human mind is like that monkey, in- 
cessantly active by its own nature ; then 
it becomes drunk with the wine of de- 
sire, thus increasing its turbulence. 
After desire takes possession, comes 
the sting of the scorpion of jealousy of 
others whose desires meet with fulfil- 
ment; and, last of all, the demon of 
pride takes possession of the mind, 
making it think itself of all impor- 
tance/' Such is the general conditio^ 



88 Power of Concentration 

of the mind. How hard it is to con- 
trol such a mind ! Nobody can do this 
for us. We can get many helpful sug- 
gestions from our teachers, but we can 
achieve self-mastery only through our 
own efforts. It must be our own work. 
Arjuna, the disciple, after listening 
to the wonderful teaching of the Gita 
from his master, Krishna, said, "This 
yoga of equanimity taught by thee, I 
see not its steady continuance, because 
of the restlessness of my mind." To 
that, the blessed Lord replied : "Doubt- 
less, O Mighty-Armed, the mind is 
restless and hard to restrain, yet by 
constant practice and dispassion it is 
subdued." There is no other way. We 
ourselves must accomplish the work of 
subduing the mind by our perseverance 
and unfailing practice. Yogis, or spir- 
itual men, through their careful study, 



Power of Concentration 89 

have found out all the various intricate 
tendencies of the mind and body and 
also how one can subdue them through 
different practices of concentration, 
and so attain absolute self-mastery. 

Our mind manifests itself in various 
forms: Kshipta, Mudha, Vikshipta 
and Ekagra. Kshipta means scattered. 
We often find our mind in this stage 
when our thoughts are various and the 
mind jumps from one thing to another. 
This is a state of activity, and the mind 
runs after sense pleasures. But no real 
peace or happiness can be found while 
it is in this scattered state. The nature 
cf the second is dullness, inactivity, 
and one becomes indiscriminative and 
injures others. Next is Vikshipta, or 
the weakening state of mind. In this 
state we struggle to centralize the 
mind, but often without success. When 



go Power of Concentration 

we do not find satisfaction, either in 
the scattered or dull state of mind, 
then we begin to struggle for some 
higher form. If one perseveres, one 
reaches the state of Ekagra, the con- 
centrated or one-pointed mind. Only 
when the mind arrives at this state do 
we attain to superconsciousness and be- 
come free forever. The first three 
states are not fitted to bring spiritual 
realization. But in the last stage, 
through the power of concentration, 
w r e can collect all our mental and physi- 
cal energies, and direct them toward 
the highest realization. 

When the mind is not concentrated, 
it is weak and we cannot accomplish 
anything with it. Our mind in one of 
the first three states is like thin fibres, 
which are scattered and separated one 
from the other; it cannot stand any 



Power of Concentration 91 

pressure, but breaks easily. But 
through the power of concentration, 
when we can collect it into one mass, 
then we are able to resist all distrac- 
tions, even as the twisted fibres can 
resist the strength of an elephant. 

The value of concentration is un- 
questionable. It helps every one in ev- 
ery stage of life. But the greatest man 
is he who can concentrate his mind on 
the Supreme Reality, as "we become 
exactly what we think." Intense 
thought forms our external and inter- 
nal nature. This we can often see in 
the case of devoted husband and wife ; 
they become like each other in their 
manners; nay, even in their appear- 
ance. This fact is very obviously 
shown in the life of Saint Francis of 
Assisi, who by constantly concentrating 
his mind on Jesus the Christ became 



92 Power of Concentration 

Christlike. It is even said his exter- 
nal figure became transformed and 
showed the marks of the stigmata. 
Such is the power' of concentration that 
it can change the whole nature of a 
man. By concentrating our minds on 
a pure, holy being we become holy. 
Similarly, when we turn our thoughts 
to material objects, we become materi- 
alistic, and we may accomplish much 
on that plane. 

It is comparatively easy to concen- 
trate our minds on external objects, but 
it is very hard to turn our thoughts on 
things within. Very few have the pa- 
tience or courage to do it. We must 
take some tangible object on which to 
concentrate, and then go on practising 
till we have fully subdued all other 
thoughts but that one. For instance, 
take the thought of unselfishness, or 



Power of Concentration 93 

purity. Fill your whole being with that 
one thought, think of nothing but that, 
dream of nothing but that, and feel 
nothing but that, then you will eventu- 
ally become pure and unselfish. At first 
your thoughts" will rise in opposition. 
Eut every time you attempt to subdue 
them you shall find yourself stronger, 
and gradually, through constant prac- 
tice, you will conquer them fully. Real 
yoga practice is when we try to collect 
our thoughts from all sources, make 
them one, and connect them with our 
Inner Self. Yoga means this union 
with the Supreme Self which destroys 
all ignorance. We cannot feel this 
union, or have the vision of the Self, 
until our mind is wholly subdued and, 
like the surface of a lake, is perfectly 
calm and quiet. As long as there are 
ripples, in the form of innumerable de- 



94 Power of Concentration 

sires, we cannot see the bottom, where 
the Atman dwells. So our duty is to 
practise with patience and persever- 
ance until we have succeeded in making 
our mind one-pointed and have sub- 
dued all mixed and wandering 
thoughts. 

This is not the work of a day, but 
may take years; nay, lives. Progress, 
however, depends entirely upon our 
earnestness. There are degrees of ear- 
nestness, and our success varies ac- 
cordingly, as is shown by different 
temperaments. Some are exceedingly 
slow in their nature, and do not have 
any power of determination or perse- 
verance; while others are wonderfully 
energetic and ready to give up even 
their lives in their attempts. Sri Ra- 
makrishna gives a parable, to this ef- 
fect, of two peasants who were work- 



Power of Concentration 95 

ing in their fields to bring water. The 
wife of one came and asked her hus-, 
band to leave the work until the next 
day. As it was late, the man, after a 
Jittle hesitation, left his work. The 
wife of the other came and urged him 
and scolded him, but the man was de- 
termined to finish his work. At last, 
after a whole day's toil, he was able to 
bring the water into his field and could 
take his rest in peace, knowing his task 
had been accomplished. There are 
many among us who lack in steadfast- 
ness and discrimination, and simply 
waste their energies by jumping from 
one thing to another without any suc- 
cess. No matter what path we may 
follow, we must learn to be steady and 
faithful ; without this, no knowledge is 
obtainable. We never lose this power 
after once acquiring it, and we can 



g6 Power of Concentration 

utilize this force in every way. When 
we succeed in concentrating our minds, 
then meditation comes naturally. 
"There is no wisdom to the unsteady, 
and no meditation to the unwise, and 
to the unmeditative no peace; to the 
peaceless how can there be happi- 
ness?" 

What is meditation? Meditation is 
a constant remembrance of the object 
we meditate upon. In other words, it 
is illustrated as "an unbroken stream 
of oil poured from one vessel to an- 
other." When we attain to this kind 
of remembrance in relation to the Su- 
preme Being, then all the bonds of the 
heart break, and it becomes illuminated 
by the presence of the Self. Through 
meditation we feel the nearness of Di- 
vinity. There is no other way to reach 
Him. No external power can give us 



Power of Concentration 97 

the vision of God. Because He is the 
nearest of all friends, nearest of any- 
thing that we can perceive. "He is 
greater than the greatest, smaller than 
the smallest, and He dwells in the core 
of every heart." As long as we try 
to see Him outside of us, we never 
find Him, all our, struggles are in vain. 
But when, by experience, we find it 
impossible to see Him outside of us, 
then we turn our thoughts inside and 
become meditative. 

There are two forces — centrifugal 
and centripetal. The tendency of one 
is to drive us toward all external ob- 
jects, and the tendency of the other is 
to draw us within. When, through 
the power of concentration, we ca,ni 
subdue all the various disturbing 
thoughts and desires, then we shall get 
the vision of the Supreme Self seated 



98 Power of Concentration 

on the altar of our hearts. Then alone 
all crookedness will be straightened 
out and all doubts about the Self will 
vanish forever. We shall be supreme- 
ly blissful, knowing that we and the 
Father are one. 



V 

SELF-REALIZATION 

Realization is the watchword of 
all religions. If there is a God, or a 
Supreme Self, we must see It, we must 
realize It. Otherwise these theories 
about the existence of God and the 
soul have very little value; if we can- 
not put them on a practical basis and 
realize the truth of them, they remain 
for us but mere words. This realiza- 
tion is the only thing that can bring 
satisfaction to us. No amount of 
theory can ever satisfy our minds un- 
less we can see the reality of things 
for ourselves. The various methods of 
joining words, the various methods of 
speaking in beautiful language, and 



ioo Self-Realization 

having the skilfulness of expounding 
the Scriptures cleverly are only for the 
enjoyment of the learned, but they 
never lead to spiritual realization, nor 
can they ever bring freedom. What 
use is there in studying scriptures if 
we thereby gain no spiritual wisdom? 
Studying means to get the directions 
which lead to the ultimate goal, and 
when we forget that, we do not gain 
any profit whatsoever, though we may 
spend our whole life in reading all the 
scriptures of the world. We have a 
very beautiful saying, in this wise: 
"As a donkey carries loads of sandal- 
wood on his back, only feeling the 
weight of the burden without getting 
the benefit of the sweet perfume, so it 
is with those who study innumerable 
scriptures without knowing the es- 
sence — the truth — of them ; their labor 



Self-Realiza Hon i o i 

is like that of the donkey carrying the 
load of wood." What I mean is,, that 
our aim and object should be realiza- 
tion, and not to remain satisfied with 
a network of words. 

There is a great deal of difference 
between a philosopher, a man of book- 
learning, and a Seer-of-truth, a man 
of realization. The philosopher may 
have studied all the Vedas, and other 
scriptures, and may be able to quote 
long passages from them ; but the Seer- 
of-truth knows, because he has seen. 
The first merely repeats what he has 
learned; the second says, "Yes, I 
know!" Thus his words are bold. Ex- 
perience is the real and only way of 
acquiring strength. Real strength 
comes through realization; when a 
man has seen God he can declare with 
conviction that there is a God. When 



1 02 Self -Realization 

we have seen a thing, no matter how 
much people may deny the existence 
of that thing, we can still stand up 
boldly and declare, "I know it exists/' 
We hear and study about the immor- 
tal nature of our soul, yet we are all 
the time afraid of dying. Why is that? 
Because we have no conception of our 
real nature, we have no realization of 
the Self, the real man. In fact we have 
no idea what Soul means; our knowl- 
edge is limited to this material body, 
and if we try to form any idea of our- 
selves we only do it through this lim- 
ited body, which is subject to constant 
changes. So, however we may study, 
and however we may talk about the im- 
mortal nature of our Self; nay, how- 
ever we may repeat Soham (I am He), 
and other sacred words, all this carries 
very little weight and strength without 



Self-Realization 1 03 

the realization of the ultimate meaning 
of these things. In India parrots are 
trained to repeat holy names, and as 
long as they are unmolested they will 
repeat them ; but no sooner does a cat 
come after them than they give their 
natural cry, forgetting all about the 
names they have been taught. Simi- 
larly, people repeat the words of the 
scriptures without comprehending their 
meaning, and that is why, when trou- 
ble comes, they are so miserable, so 
weak, so much in fear of death. 

But when we realize the Self, when 
we perceive It, as we perceive the ex- 
istence of those around us, then we can 
no longer doubt. Then fear of death 
or of disease will no longer exist. Na- 
ture has no influence on the Supreme 
Self of man, which is in reality one 
and the same with God, so Self-reali- 



1 04 Self-Realiza Hon 

zation and God-vision are not two dif- 
ferent things. Man is the expression 
of God, and God is the reality of man. 
Real man and God are inseparable. 
There is only one reality in this uni- 
verse, whom the devotee worships as 
a personal god, and a Jnani, or wise 
man, as his own Self. The difference 
is only in names and methods of reach- 
ing the goal, but when the goal is 
reached, both come to the same under- 
standing, that there is but One by 
Whom everything is pervaded. "This 
Atman is not to be realized by the in- 
tellect, nor by words, nor by hearing 
from many sources; but by him by 
whom this Atman is beloved, by him 
alone is the Atman realized." The 
thing necessary for us is to feel in- 
tense love in our hearts for this At- 
man, or God; otherwise He is not at- 



Self -Realization 1 05 

tainable. There is no other way that 
man can reach unto God, except 
through love — love always unites. 
This love for God comes unto those 
blessed beings who are pure in heart, 
from whom all attachment for unreal 
things, all selfish desires have vanished. 
This purity of heart and love for God 
are the sum and substance of all re- 
ligious teachings. 

We may spend all our lives strug- 
gling in search of truth, in temples, in 
churches and in books ; but without un- 
derstanding the significance of these 
fundamental teachings all these efforts 
will be in vain. Religion is practical, 
and those who observe the practical 
side of it realize the truth. You may 
not know how to read a single book, 
but if you have known the truth which 
is behind them you are much better off 



1 06 , Self-Realiza Hon 

than the so-called philosopher who may 
speak in beautiful language, but who 
has no realization whatsoever. It is a 
dangerous thing to hear the truth from 
one who has not realized, for he will 
only bring confusion in the mind; but 
one who has realized will teach with- 
out uttering many words. As Swami 
Vivekananda says in one of his lec- 
tures, that he who has something to 
give, gives in most simple language, 
but one who has nothing to give he 
sometimes writes two volumes to ex- 
pound one word. So, you see that we 
gain nothing when we come in contact 
with such people; they only confuse 
our brains. 

He who has attained illumination 
does not need to use many words. His 
life itself is an answer to all questions 
— for the sun of wisdom always shines 



Self -Realization 1 07 

in his heart. This makes one bold ; be- 
fore this strength all other strength is 
insignificant. When Alexander the 
Great was in India he met a sage with 
whose wisdom he was so deeply im- 
pressed that he wished to carry him 
back to Greece, but the sage refused 
to go. The king offered him wealth 
and honor; still he refused. Then, at 
last growing angry, the king said : "If 
you do not come, I will kill you !" At 
this the sage smiled, and replied: 
"King, you never said anything more 
foolish. You cannot kill me — me 
whom the sword cannot pierce, whom 
the fire cannot burn, whom water can- 
not melt, and air cannot dry. I am 
the eternal, indestructible soul !" Such 
strength comes when we attain to Self- 
realization; then we never depend on 
anything or anybody, and we become 



1 08 Self -Realization 

absolutely fearless. No matter how we 
struggle to find rest, we learn that un- 
less we get peace within ourselves we 
cannot get it elsewhere. 

But it is very hard for those who 
identify themselves with the body and 
have too much attachment for sense- 
pleasures to realize the Self which is 
beyond all limitation. You remember 
the story how two seekers after Truth 
went to a saint to learn about the Self. 
The saint gave the same teaching to 
both : "Tat twam asi [Thou art That] 
— the Lord does not exist apart from 
you; find Him out yourself within 
yourself." The one, owing to his den- 
sity and fondness for the body, under- 
stood the saying of the saint to mean 
that his material body was the Self; 
but the other was finer in nature, and 
through his earnestness and sincere in- 



Self -Realization 1 09 

qtiiry came to realize the Self which is 
beyond body, mind, senses and all hu- 
man limitations. The thing necessary 
for us is to always have right discrimi- 
nation and non-attachment; too much 
attachment and fondness for the body 
create bondage and obstruct our spir- 
itual growth. At the same time, those 
who neglect to take proper care of their 
bodies retard their spiritual growth 
and may even make it impossible, as 
is seen in some individual cases, where 
the body is broken down by practising 
too much asceticism. This body should 
be regarded as an instrument through 
help of which we are to work out our 
salvation. For that reason we must 
take all necessary care of our body to 
keep it well and strong, without think- 
ing it all in all. The human body is com- 
pared to a Vina (string instrument) 



i io Self-Realisation 

which produces beautiful music if 
properly tuned. In order to tune prop- 
erly we need to use moderation ; if we 
put too much pressure on the strings, 
they give way; and if we use no pres- 
sure at all, no music is produced. Here, 
if we use discrimination, we can save 
ourselves from being radical material- 
ists or extreme ascetics. Our aim and 
object are neither the body nor bodily 
enjoyment, but to gain that knowledge 
of the Self which will bring us absolute 
freedom. 

We try to get pleasure in this world, 
but nothing can give that, unless one 
finds it within his own self. That which 
is consciousness in this world is the 
Self, and in That alone we find all our 
happiness and bliss. Who cares for the 
material body? We all love the Self, 
no matter whether we know it or not. 



Self -Realization 1 1 1 

We all love that consciousness which is 
the Self of man, As long as that con- 
sciousness dwells in the body, we care 
for that body, but the moment the spir- 
it leaves, we no longer care for the 
empty shell. We may not recognize 
this fact, for reason of our weakness 
born of living on the material plane. 
We follow the regular process of 
physical life, and we train our chil- 
dren also to do the same; the young 1 
are taught to study a little, later to 
earn money, then to marry, have pleas- 
ure and all material prosperity. This 
is the regular routine of life, and those 
who do not wish to follow it are looked 
upon as crazy people. Thus all are 
trained from childhood, but are they 
helped by this method of education? 
No ! It makes them weak and depend- 
ent, because it binds them to the ma- 



112 Self-Realization 

terial plane. True morality will come 
only when we depend on our true Self. 
You wish to make your children moral, 
but to do this you must hold up before 
them the right ideal which will give 
them real strength. Do not give them 
the weakening thought that they must 
depend on material things for their 
happiness, but tell them, from their 
childhood, that they are Spirit, and not 
the physical body; that they are the 
Immortal Self, which is above all ex- 
ternal conditions. Only thus will you 
make them strong and great powers. 
No weak person can realize the Su- 
preme Self. At present we think our- 
selves weak, and we have become so, 
but let us cease to think it, and all 
weakness will drop off. Do not remind 
any one O'f his weakness. Make even a 
criminal feel the best that is in him. 



Self -Realization 113 

If you wish to help any one, do not 
regard his weak side, but call out all 
that he has of good; only so will you 
help him to realize his better nature. 
However hard it may be, we must all 
seek realization, for in that alone shall 
we find real peace. 

There are three different paths we 
may take to attain this end, but all lead 
to the same goal, Supreme Realization. 
One who merely works for the Self 
gets this realization, another who has 
faith in the Lord — the same Lord 
whom the worker worships in another 
form — also realizes Him; while the 
Jnani who travels by the path of 
"neti, neti" (not this, not this) also 
reaches Him. As when you enter a 
dark room, to get some article, you 
pass from one object to another, say- 
ing "Not this," until you find the thing 



H4 Self 'Realization 

you want ; then you cease your search ; 
so also the Jnani puts aside one worldly 
object after another until he finds that 
for which he was searching, and so at- 
tains the goal. Thus the first class — 
the workers — by entire unselfishness, 
giving all their labor freely and with- 
out a thought of personal gain, make 
every deed an act of worship, are puri- 
fied in heart and attain realization. The 
second class — the Bhaktas, or devotees 
— worship the Lord with intense sin- 
gle-hearted devotion, and through that 
reach union with the Divine Object of 
their worship and attain realization. 
The last-mentioned class — the Jnanis 
— take the hardest way to reach the 
goal. Rigid self-control and constant 
self-denial alone can carry them on the 
way. Only the strong, mentally and 
physically, can travel by this road, but 



Self -Realization 115 

he who is determined, and perseveres 
to the end, arrives at realization of the 
Self. He sees It dwelling in every liv- 
ing thing, and, thus seeing the Self ev- 
erywhere and knowing his oneness 
with It, he cannot hate or injure any 
being. 

This realization is the goal of all 
mankind. We are all struggling to 
reach it, though we may not know it. 
Some have already learned how tran- 
sitory are the things of the world, and 
are searching for something more per- 
manent, more real; others still cling 
to the objects of the senses, but sooner 
or later all must come to this one goal. 
"Because this perception of the Self 
alone cuts all the knots of our hearts, 
destroys all doubts, and removes all 
the binding effect of karma." 

After once having the vision of the 



1 1 6 Self-Realiza Hon 

Supreme, we really become blessed ; we 
no longer depend on the outside world, 
but we dwell within ourselves and be- 
come Self-satisfied. The one object of 
all the religious teachings of the world 
is to bring unto us this realization; 
though the path may be hard and dif- 
ficult to tread on, yet must we march 
on with real faith and perseverance, 
and never give up through fear, or dis- 
couragement. Forget not the call of 
the awakened souls who found out the 
way of immortal bliss, but "Arise! 
awake, and stop not till the goal is 
reached !" 



VI 
SELECTIONS FROM 
UPANISHADS 

AND 

OTHER SCRIPTURES 



DISCRIMINATION 

"The good is one thing, the pleas- 
ant another; these two, having differ- 
ent objects, chain a man. It is well 
with him who clings to the good; he 
who chooses the pleasant, misses his 
end." 

"The good and the pleasant ap- 
proach man : the wise goes round about 
them and distinguishes them. Yea, the 
wise prefers the good to the pleasant, 
but the fool chooses the pleasant 
through greed and avarice." 

"Thou, O Nachiketas, after ponder- 
ing all pleasures that are or seem de- 

119 



1 20 Discrimination 

lightful, hast dismissed them all. THou 
hast not gone into the road that leadeth 
to wealth, in which many men sink." 

"Wide apart and leading to differ- 
ent points are these two — ignorance, 
and what is known as wisdom. I be- 
lieve Nachiketas to be one who desires 
knowledge, for even many pleasures 
did not tear thee away." 

"He [the Self] of whom many are 
not even able to hear, whom many even 
when they hear of Him do not com- 
prehend; wonderful is a man, when 
found, who is able to teach Him [the 
Self] ; wonderful is he who compre- 
hends Him, when taught by an able 
teacher [man of realization]." 

— Kathch Upanishad. 



GOD AND MAN 

"Two birds, inseparable friends, 
cling to the same tree. One of them 
eats the sweet fruit, the other looks 
on without eating." 

"On the same tree man sits grieving, 
immersed, bewildered by his own im- 
potence. But when he sees the other 
Lord [Isa] contented, and knows his 
glory, then his grief passes away." 

"When the Seer sees the brilliant 
Maker and Lord [of the world] as the 
Person who has His source in Brah- 
man, then he is wise, and, shaking off 
good and evil, he reaches the highest 

oneness, free from passions." 
121 



122 God and Man 

"For He is the Breath shining forth 
in all beings, and he who understands 
this becomes truly wise, not a talker 
only. He revels in the Self, he de- 
lights in the Self, and, having per- 
formed his works [truthfulness, pen- 
ance, meditation, etc.], he rests firmly 
established in Brahman, the best of 
those who know the Truth. " 

— Mundaka- Upanishad. 



REALIZATION 

"Nor is that Self to be gained by 
one who is destitute of strength, or 
without earnestness, or without right 
meditation. But if a wise man strives 
after it by those means [by strength, 
earnestness, and right meditation], 
then his Self enters the home of Brah- 
man." 

"When they have reached Him [the 
Self], the sages become satisfied 
through knowledge; they are conscious 
of their Self, their passions have 
passed away, and they are tranquil. 
The wise, having reached Him, who is 
omnipresent everywhere, devoted to 
the Self, enter into Him wholly." 
123 



124 Realization 

"Having well ascertained the object 
of the knowledge of the Vedanta, hav- 
ing purified their nature by the Yoga 
of renunciation, all anchorites, enjoy- 
ing the highest immortality, become 
free at the time of the great end 
[death] in the worlds of Brahma." 
— Mundaka- Upanishad. 



"The first results of Yoga they call 
lightness, healthiness, steadiness, a 
good complexion, an easy pronuncia- 
tion, a sweet odor, and slight excre- 
tions." 

"As a metal disk [mirror] tarnished 
by dust shines bright again after it has 
been cleaned, so is the one incarnate 
person satisfied and free from grief 



Realization 125 

after he has seen the real nature of 
the Self." 

"And when, by means of the real 
nature of his Self, he sees, as by a lamp, 
the real nature of Brahman, then, hav- 
ing known the Unborn, Eternal God, 
who is beyond all natures, he is freed 
from all fetters/' 

"Let us know that highest, great 
Lord of lords, the highest Deity of 
deities, the Master of masters, the 
highest above, as God, the Lord of the 
World, the Adorable." 

— Svetasvatara- Upanishad. 



THE "DHAMMAPADA"; OR, 
PATH TO VIRTUE 

All that we are is the result of what 
we have thought : it is founded on our 
thoughts, it is made up of our 
thoughts. If a man speaks or acts 
with an evil thought, pain follows him, 
as the wheel follows the foot of the ox 
that draws the carriage. 

All that we are is the result of what 
we have thought : it is founded on our 
thoughts, it is made up of our 
thoughts. If a man speaks or acts 
with a pure thought, happiness follows 
him like a shadow that never leaves 
him. 

The virtuous delights in this world, 

126 



The "Dhammapada" 127 

and he delights in the next ; he delights 
in both. He delights and rejoices 
when he sees the purity of his own 
work. 

Earnestness is the path of immortal- 
ity, thoughtlessness the path of death. 
Those who are in earnest do not die; 
those who are thoughtless are as if 
dead already. 

Having understood this clearly, 
those who are advanced in earnestness 
delight in earnestness, and rejoice in 
knowledge of the elect. 

If an earnest person has roused him- 
self, if he is not forgetful, if his deeds 
are pure, if he acts with consideration, 
if he restrains himself, and lives ac- 
cording to law — then his glory will 
increase. 

By rousing himself, by earnestness, 
by restraint and control, the wise man 



128 The "Dhammapada" 

may make for himself an island which 
no flood can overwhelm. 

These wise people, meditative, 
steady, always possessed of strong 
powers, attain to Nirvana, the highest 
happiness. 

If you see a man who shows you 
what is to be avoided, who administers 
reproofs, and is intelligent, follow that 
wise man as you would one who tells 
of hidden treasures; it will be better, 
not worse, for him who follows him. 

Do not have evil-doers for friends, 
do not have low people for friends: 
have virtuous people for friends, have 
for friends the best of men. 

Few are there among men who ar- 
rive at the other shore; the other peo- 
ple here run up and down the shore. 
But those who, when the law has been 
well preached to them, follow the law, 



The "Dhammapada" 129 

will pass over the dominion of death, 
however difficult to cross. 

There is no suffering for him who 
has finished his journey, and aban- 
doned grief, who has freed himself on 
all sides, and thrown off all fetters. 

The gods even envy him whose 
senses, like horses well broken in by 
the driver, have been subdued, who is 
free from pride, and free from appe- 
tites; his thought is quiet; quiet are 
his word and deed, when he has ob- 
tained freedom by true knowledge, 
when he has thus become a quiet man. 

If a man holds himself dear, let him 
watch himself carefully; during one at 
least out of the three watches a wise 
man should be watchful. 

Let each man direct himself first to 
what is proper, then let him teach oth- 
ers; thus a wise man will not suffer. 



130 The "Dhammapada" 

If a man makes himself as tie teaches 
others to be, then, being himself well 
subdued, he may subdue others; for 
one's own self is difficult to subdue. 

He who gives himself to vanity, 
and does not give himself to medita- 
tion, forgetting the real aim of life and 
grasping at pleasure, will in time envy 
him who has exerted himself in medi- 
tation. 

Let a man leave anger, let him for- 
sake pride, let him overcome all bond- 
age ! No sufferings befall the man who 
is not attached to name and form, and 
who calls nothing his own. 

He who holds back rising anger like 
a rolling chariot, him I call a real 
driver; other people are but holding 
the reins. 

A man is not learned because tie 



The "Dhammapada" 131 

talks much; he who is patient, free 
from hatred and fear, he is called 
learned. 

A man is not a supporter of the law 
because he talks much; even if a man 
has learnt little, but sees the law bodily, 
he is a supporter of the law, a man 
who never neglects the law. 

A man is not an elder because his 
head is gray ; his age may be ripe, but 
he is called "Old-in-vain." 

He in whom there is truth, virtue, 
pity, restraint, moderation, he who is 
free from impurity and is wise, he is 
called an elder. 

"These sons belong to me, and this 
wealth belongs to me," with such 
thoughts a fool is tormented. He him- 
self does not belong to himself; how 
much less sons and wealth? 



132 The "Dhammapada" 

The fool who knows his foolishness 
is wise at least so far; but a fool who 
thinks himself wise, he is called a fool 
indeed. 



TRANSLATION FROM THE 
SANSKRIT 

BY SWAMI VIVEKANANDA 

SHIVO HUM 

I am neither body nor changes of the 

body; 
Nor am I senses or object of the 

senses. 
I am Existence Absolute, Knowledge 

Absolute, Bliss Absolute; 

I am He, I am He. 

(Shivo Hum, Shivo Hum.) 

I am neither sin nor virtue; nor tem- 
ple, nor worship; 

Nor pilgrimage, nor books. 

I am Existence Absolute, Knowledge 

Absolute, Bliss Absolute; 

I am He, I am He. 

(Shivo Hum, Shivo Hum.) 
183 



134 Shivo Hum 

I have neither death, nor fear of death ; 
Nor was I ever born, nor had I parents. 
I am Existence Absolute, Knowledge 

Absolute, Bliss Absolute; 

I am He, I am He. 

(Shivo Hum, Shivo Hum.) 

I am not misery, nor ever had I misery; 
I am not enemy, nor had I enemies. 
I am Existence Absolute, Knowledge 

Absolute, Bliss Absolute ; 

I am He, I am He. 

(Shivo Hum, Shivo Hum.) 

I am without form, without limit, be- 
yond space, beyond time; 

I am in everything; I am the basis of 
the universe; everywhere am I. 

I am Existence Absolute, Knowledge 
Absolute, Bliss Absolute; 
I am He, I am He. 
(Shivo Hum, Shivo Hum.) 



MOHA-MUDGARA 

OR 

(hammer to delusion) 

Who is thy wife? Who is thy son? 

How curious is this world ! 

Who art Thou thyself — and whence 

comest Thou? 
Think on the truth of these things, O 

Brother. 
Worship the Lord. Worship the Lord. 
Worship the Lord, fool that thou art ! 

Even from a son comes dread to the 

rich, is a common proverb. 
Take no pride in having riches, or 

youth, or family-retainers. 
135 



136 Moha-Mndgara 

Time steals them all away in a mo- 
ment; full of illusion is all this — 

Giving up these, enter into the path of 
Brahman, and enter into it quickly. 

Worship the Lord. Worship the Lord. 

Worship the Lord, fool that thou art! 

Giving up lust, anger, greed and all at- 
tachment, 

Think, Brother, who art thou thyself 
in reality; 

One who is devoid of self-knowledge, 

He suffers agony in the lightless cell. 

Worship the Lord. Worship the Lord. 

Worship the Lord, fool that thou art! 

In enemy and friend, in son, in rela- 
tions, 

Strive not to make either strife or 
peace. 

But keep an even heart toward all 



Moha-Mudgara 137 

If thou desirest to attain the stage of 

omnipresence in a moment. 
Worship the Lord. Worship the Lord. 
Worship the Lord, fool that thou art! 

Unstable as the drop of water on the 
lotus-leaf, 

So is this life extremely impermanent. 

The company of sages — even for a mo- 
ment — in this world 

Proves a boat in crossing the sea of this 
samsara. 

Worship the Lord. Worship the Lord. 

Worship the Lord, fool that thou art! 

Day and night, evening and morning, 
Autumn and spring coming again and 

again, 
Time playing — life going, 
Even then not quenched the hope of the 

life-breath. 



138 Moha-Mudgara 

Worship the Lord. Worship the Lord. 
Worship the Lord, fool that thou art! 



The body becomes wrinkled, the head 
becomes gray, 

The mouth becomes toothless, the staff 
trembles in hand; 

Even then the jar of hope remains un- 
broken. 

Worship the Lord. Worship the Lord. 

Worship the Lord, fool that thou art! 



A child engaged in play, 

When youth engaged in making love 

In old age merged in anxiety — 

Not one is engaged in contemplation of 

the Supreme Brahman. 
Worship the Lord. Worship the Lord. 
Worship the Lord, fool that thou art! 



Moha-Mndgara 139 

As long as there is birth, there is 
death — 

So long is Mother's womb lying (re- 
birth). 

This is the obvious object of this 
world. 

How in this world, O man, can be 
your happiness ? 

Worship the Lord. Worship the Lord. 

Worship the Lord, fool that thou art! 

On! on! and waver not until the 
Ideal is realized. No rest, friend, 'til 
that abode of peace is found. The heart 
may sink with despair when even the 
hardest struggle brings no good result. 
Yet, that is the point where we most 
need to show our strength, because that 
is the test of life. From surface to 
bottom, religious truths teach but one 
thing, and that is strength, self-reli- 



140 Molia-Mudgara 

ance. Let us all pray to the Supreme 
sincerely and earnestly to open unto us 
the gate of light, strength and wisdom. 
May He grant unto the followers of all 
religions — nay, all living beings — His 
peace and bliss. Peace ! Peace ! Peace ! 



JAN 7 !3wi 



